Desert Regional Medical Center
Acute care hospital in Palm Springs, CA.
Verified from the hospital's own policy
Desert Regional Medical Center likely gives free care to households with a yearly income up to $31,760 for 1 person, $43,064 for 2, $54,367 for 3, $65,670 for 4, $76,973 for 5 or $88,276 for 6. It likely gives a discount to households with a yearly income up to $63,840 for 1 person, $86,560 for 2, $109,280 for 3, $132,000 for 4, $154,720 for 5 or $177,440 for 6.
The hospital makes the final decision.
| People in household | Free care up to | Discount up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $31,760 | $63,840 |
| 2 | $43,064 | $86,560 |
| 3 | $54,367 | $109,280 |
| 4 | $65,670 | $132,000 |
| 5 | $76,973 | $154,720 |
| 6 | $88,276 | $177,440 |
Discount steps
- 0% to 199% of poverty level, you pay $0 (100% Charity Care Discount) for uninsured patients
- 200% to 400% of poverty level, you pay Uninsured patients pay the Uninsured Rate (100% of the expected Medicare rate) and may get a further partial discount; amount for insured patients with high medical costs not stated
How to apply
- Call (760) 323-6511 and ask for financial assistance.
- Financial Assistance for Uninsured Patients (Tenet policy EAC.05.03 with California addendum, effective 12/31/24)
- Bring recent pay stubs, or income tax returns.
- We do not have the deadline yet. Apply as soon as you get a bill, and ask the billing office to pause collections while you apply.
- Savings and property
- The policy looks at income only, not savings or property.
- Very large bills
- Patients at or below 400% of the poverty level whose out-of-pocket costs at the hospital in a year are over 10% of family income
If you have insurance
Insured patients can also apply for help with deductibles and copays. Keep your insurance. Financial assistance covers bills from this one place only.
What is covered
- Covered
- Hospital care at Tenet hospitals in California. Uninsured patients getting emergency care who do not qualify for a government program get financial assistance.
- Not covered
- Free care is for uninsured patients. Elective services and insured patients are handled under other Tenet discount policies. Emergency doctors bill separately and have their own discount duty under state law.
State program in California
Hospital Fair Pricing Act (Health and Safety Code 127400 et seq.)
Every licensed general acute care, acute psychiatric, and special hospital in California must have a charity care policy and a discount payment policy. A patient can ask for help if they are uninsured (self-pay) or have high medical costs, and their family income is not more than 400% of the federal poverty level. Hospitals may choose to help people with higher incomes. With a discount, the bill is capped at about what Medicare or Medi-Cal would pay, whichever is greater. You can apply at any time, even after a bill goes to collections. Immigration status does not affect eligibility.
Income levels in the program are discount up to 400% of poverty level.
Applies to each licensed general acute care hospital, acute psychiatric hospital, and special hospital in California.
Apply to the hospital's financial assistance office. Each hospital's policies and applications are posted on its website and on HCAI's Hospital Fair Pricing Policy Lookup (https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/hospital-fair-pricing-policy-lookup/).
Is a self-pay patient OR a patient with high medical costs; AND Patient's family income is not more than 400 percent of the federal poverty
Program source, checked 2026-11-10
Hospital Bill Complaint Program (HCAI)
A free state program at HCAI. If a hospital wrongly denied you financial assistance, did not tell you about its programs, or sent you to collections the wrong way, you can file a complaint online (English and Spanish) or by mail (many languages). You must have applied to the hospital first for HCAI to review an eligibility decision. If HCAI finds you paid too much, the hospital must refund you within 30 days. It covers problems on or after January 1, 2022. It does not handle general billing disputes, price transparency, Good Faith Estimates, or bills from emergency room doctors.
Applies to complaints about any hospital covered by the Hospital Fair Pricing Act.
File online through the Patient Complaint Portal (https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/hospital-bill-complaint-program/should-i-file-a-complaint/) or mail the Patient Complaint Form to Department of Health Care Access and Information, Hospital Bill Complaint Program, 2020 West El Camino Avenue, Suite 1101, Sacramento, CA 95833.
If you believe you were wrongly denied financial assistance, you may file a complaint with the Hospital Bill Complaint Program.
Program source, checked 2026-11-10
Emergency physician discount rule
Most hospital policies cover only the hospital's own bill. Emergency room doctors often bill separately. California law also requires an emergency physician to give discounts to uninsured patients and patients with high medical costs whose family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level. Ask the doctor group's billing office for its discount policy. HCAI's complaint program does not handle emergency doctor bills.
Income levels in the program are discount up to 400% of poverty level.
Applies to emergency physicians who provide emergency medical services in a California hospital that provides emergency care.
Ask the emergency physician group named on the bill for its discount payment policy.
an emergency physician who provides emergency medical services in a hospital that provides emergency care is also required by law to provide discounted care
Program source, checked 2026-11-10
Notes
This is Tenet Healthcare's company-wide policy with its California addendum. It does not name this hospital or list its facilities. Free care is for uninsured patients with income below 200% of the poverty level. The policy says below 200%, so 199 is recorded. Uninsured patients who do not get free care are billed the Uninsured Rate, which equals what Medicare would expect to pay. That rate applies at any income. Up to 400% of the poverty level, the addendum says uninsured patients and patients with high medical costs can get full or partial discounts. For insured patients the discount comes from separate Tenet copay, deductible, and cash price policies that are not filed with the state, so the amount is not stated. Free care can be given without an application for homeless patients and some Medi-Cal cases. Payment plans are capped at 10% of monthly income after essential living expenses. Appeals go in writing to Attention CFAC, P.O. Box 223849, Dallas, TX 75222-3849. No phone number or deadline is printed. The document is dated 12/31/24. HCAI lists it with an effective date of 05/27/2026. The file HCAI lists as this hospital's application is a second copy of the policy, so no application form was found.
Sources
- Free care level
Financially Indigent: Means an Uninsured Patient with an annual Income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level
- Discount level
those who are at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, shall be eligible for either full or partial discounts
- Discount steps
the discount afforded to uninsured patients who do not qualify for Charity Care, and which is equal to 100% of the expected Medicare rate
- Insured patients
Patients with High Medical Costs: Means patients, insured or not, whose family Income does not exceed 400% of the federal poverty level
- Asset test
A Facility is prohibited by California law from considering the patient’s monetary assets.
- Very large bills
annual out-of-pocket costs at the Facility that exceed the lessor of: (1) 10% of the Patient’s family Income in the prior 12 months
- Documents
documentation of Income shall be limited to recent pay stubs or Income tax returns.
- What is not covered
do not qualify for a Charity Care Discount under this Policy, because they are either seeking Elective Service or because they are not Uninsured Patients
Last checked. 2026-11-10
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